Metalworkers' union the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) says it has exhausted all efforts to try to reclaim the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and it is now ready to begin building a new trade union federation.

"The Numsa NEC [National Executive Committee] concluded that Numsa, together with other affiliates in the group of nine-plus unions, has done everything in its power to reclaim Cosatu through its legal and organisational endeavours," deputy general secretary Karl Cloete told reporters in Johannesburg on Thursday.

"The time has arrived to start with the building blocks of forming a new, independent, democratic, worker-controlled, militant, anti-imperialist trade union federation."

Cloete said only 30% of SA's workforce are part of a union and Cosatu's resolution of having one federation in the country representing all workers will not be realised in its current form, while it is still aligned with the South African Communist Party and the African National Congress.

Numsa, which boasts a membership of 365 000 members, has to deal with two things before going forward.

"The NEC of Numsa unanimously came to a conclusion that for Numsa, we have come to the end of the road. There are two matters that the organisation has to take a decision on, based on that conclusion.

"Our 52 structures would be asked to debate two things. One, we have a legal case pending on the unlawful expulsion from Cosatu. Do we withdraw that?

"Two, we have written an appeal to Cosatu to admit us back into the federation. Do we withdraw from that appeal?"

Numsa can act only once all its structures have taken a decision on these issues, Cloete said.

"We are democratically allowing the structures to deal with the two matters... This national leadership does not decide for members.

"There is no decision in Numsa as we sit here that [says] we must pull back from the court case, there is no decision that we must [withdraw] our appeal to Cosatu."

In all nine of its regions across the country Numsa members feel the outcomes of Cosatu's Ordinary National Congress, set to take place in November, will be no different to those of the Special National Congress that took place last week.

"The fraudulent capturing of the Cosatu Special National Congress did not at all achieve the unity and cohesion inside Cosatu or the leadership change that the nine unions called for when they submitted their constitutional request for the congress two years back," Cloete said.

The union's United Front movement is expected to launch in December, despite difficulties raising funds for the movement, he said.

Policy documents are being circulated to regions for discussion. Among the topics to be discussed is the movement's attitude towards the upcoming 2016 local government elections, he said.

News24.com